Computerized Classification of Child Speech Disorders

Project Overview

One of the main tasks for speech-language pathologists is to determine the type of speech problem a child has. In some cases, children have difficulty moving their articulators accurately and precisely to produce clear speech. In other cases, a child lacks knowledge of the rules for combining speech sounds into intelligible words.

One goal of this project is to test the accuracy of a recently developed automated computer software program for diagnosing speech sound disorders in young children. This program analyzes the acoustic quality of a child’s speech and predicts what type of disorder the child displays.

The second goal of the project is to employ eye-tracking technology to examine whether young children can perceive differences among speech sounds. For some children, the inability to distinguish differences between sounds may be the cause of their speech sound difficulties. Through presentation of pictures that differ by only one sound (for example, “pan” and “fan”), we hope to determine whether children are able to perceive (by hearing) the difference between these word pairs. Eye tracking is particularly beneficial when studying special populations, including children and individuals with disabilities. No behavioral response is required, eliminating the need for direct responses such as pointing.

Stage of Development

The Computerized Classification of Child Speech Disorders project is in the pilot stage of development. This project is funded in part by a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Development Team

Computerized Classification of Child Speech Disorders is a collaboration among the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the Callier Center for Communication Disorders and researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The team of researchers includes:

Campbell is the Sara T. Martineau Professor in Communication Disorders in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He holds the Ludwig Michael Executive Directorship of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. His research interests focus on early predictors of speech and language disorders in children as well as the identification of speech-motor and environmental variables that are associated with the recovery of communication skills after acquired neurological injury in childhood.

McGlothlin has a master's degree in speech-language pathology and has worked as a speech therapist and clinical supervisor for the last 12 years. Her clinical work focuses on evaluation and treatment of children with feeding and speech disorders, specifically those disorders with a motor component. Research interests include differential diagnosis of motor speech disorders in children, as well as development of innovative diagnostic and treatment methods.

Mueller has a master's degree in speech-language pathology from University of Nevada-Reno and worked as a speech therapist for adolescents and adults with neurological disorders prior to beginning the communication sciences and disorders doctoral program at UT Dallas. Her research interests include identifying effective assessment tools and treatments for individuals who experience cognitive and communication difficulties after suffering an acquired brain injury.